Chapter 4: TMA || 4

The flight to Washington was a pleasantly peaceful one. Bianca and I spent it working, the girls were behaved while they bonded with Luigi, Sven was his usual brooding self and Ivanka was ignored by everyone. The jet landed hours later before we drove straight to the hotel. It was evening when we arrived.

We checked in with the receptionist by the name of Matilda. I told her to tell Shelby, the manager at this branch of my hotels, that I would be doing an evaluation soon. She said she would deliver the message, and we all headed up.

I was staying with Bianca, Ivanka and the girls in the penthouse suite, while Luigi and Sven opted for their own rooms. The girls passed out almost immediately, with Ivanka following behind them. Bianca went to pour us glasses of wine as I sat on the couch. She handed me a glass and sat next to me. The silence was deafening, but what she broke it with took me by surprise.

“We’re never going to be together, are we?” she said lowly. I looked over at her, not bothering to mask my shock. When she looked up at me with vulnerable eyes, I knew I couldn’t lie to her.

“No,” I said lowly.

“Good,” she smiled.

“Good?” I asked in confusion.

“Yep! You need to settle down now Raphael,” she admonished. I was so confused.

“I’m very lost right now,” I admitted.

“I’ve been in your life for twenty eight years Raphael. No-one knows you better than I do. There was a time when I was sure that we would end up together, but I gave up the moment you lay your eyes on Gabi,” she said sadly.

I was beyond speechless. I didn’t even realize that Bianca and I had been in each other’s lives that long. Our mothers are best friends and so we’ve always been in each other’s lives. She’s the closest thing I have to a best friend and she’s probably the one person I’ve spent the most time with in my life.

“What are you saying? What about all the flirting?” I frowned.

“Believe it or not, the flirting makes our relationship work. I stopped truly flirting with you years ago,” she laughed. I was surprised to find that what she was saying was true. I’d gotten so used to the flirting that our relationship would be awkward without it.

“Anita also believes I need to settle down. She believes that the girls need a mother,” I told her.

“That’s because they do. They are at a delicate stage right now, and while your daughters are intelligent Raphael, they are also little girls. I’m sure they yearn for maternal love, and not from a nanny either,” she pointed out.

“I can’t just get them a mother,” I sighed.

“You actually can. You just don’t want to,” she called me out.

“I can’t,” I mumbled.

“She was a bitch Raphael, but not all women are like her,” she sighed, taking my hand in hers. The gesture didn’t scare me, which I was relieved about.

“What about you?” I asked her, diverting the subject.

“I’m happy with Giovanni,” she smiled.

“He also needs a father,” I smirked.

“Don’t you think if he needed a father then I would’ve gone and had him with a man?” she asked amusedly.

“True, but you also need to be taken care of,” I pointed out.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and my son. Besides, my work would probably drive the man away,” she shrugged.

“It would?” I scowled.

“Well yeah! Being your PA isn’t the easiest job in the world. The hours are demanding, we travel a lot and I’m always at your beck and call. I love my job though, and that’s the part that I know the guy wouldn’t understand about me,” she explained. For the millionth time, I was knocked for six.

“I truly do sound like a slave driver now,” I grumbled.

“You’re not a slave driver Raphael. You’re just a man who has professionally found his feet, but has personally lost his way,” she said softly.

“You put it perfectly,” I gave a small smile.

“I know. Promise me you’ll at least consider it?” she smiled.

“I promise,” I nodded. She leaned in and pecked my cheek.

“Goodnight Raphael,” she whispered.

“Goodnight Bianca,” I replied. She got up and went to her room to sleep.

I stayed up for a while longer, thinking about the possibility of meeting a woman who could possibly be the love of my life. I didn’t even know where I would begin; how I would put myself out there.

I woke up at five in the morning and got ready for the day. I had a couple of meetings and I was ready to go by six. Bianca was already having coffee when I left my room. As always, she looked beautiful. She’s an insanely gorgeous woman, which makes me wonder why no man has decided that she’s worth the risk.

“Good morning boss,” she teased.

“It’s too early,” I shook my head. A part of me rejoiced when I realized that she hadn’t bothered to make me coffee. I’d rather make my own cup.

“You ready for today?” she asked.

“When am I ever not ready?” I smirked.

“True! Are you going to see the girls before we leave?” she asked.

“Nah! I want them to rest. Besides, if I wake them up, they’re going to pester me about going to see my grandmother,” I sighed.

“They don’t see her often, and we are close enough to her,” she argued.

“I know, but I don’t want to see her. The last time I saw her, I said some pretty ugly things to her,” I explained.

“And now you’re just too proud to apologize?” she raised a challenging eyebrow.

“It’s not that-” I started only to be cut off. I hate when people do that to me.

“You’re a coward then?” she bluntly challenged.

“I am not a coward,” I said darkly. I saw the flash of fear in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came.

“Whatever! Let’s just get on with the day,” she snapped.

Knowing that she was upset with me didn’t sit well with me, but I just let it go in any case. We made it outside to find Sven already waiting for us. I greeted Harry, who was just arriving, on my way out. That man was one of the only people I trusted with my life, and he’d moved here to be the doorman to this hotel, but for a reason.

“Found anything yet?” I asked him.

“Nothing so far, but I’m working on it,” he replied.

“Alright, I’ll check in with you later,” I told him. He nodded and I went to the car.

My morning was filled with back to back meetings, and I was sealing deals as best as I knew how to. You’d think that with the success of my business, I’d be satisfied, but I strongly believe in job creation and fighting unemployment and poverty, so I’m working on expanding my brand in Africa, but I need more business deals to do that. By eleven o’clock, I’d already had five meetings and was headed to the main reason I had come to Washington in the first place.

The next meeting I was having, was with a man named Gerard Hartley. He’s the CEO of a company called Hartley Inc, which, just like Maestri Empires, has its fingers in a lot of things. The company is based in South Africa, and his main goal is to empower Africans, and to eliminate poverty and unemployment throughout the African continent.

That clearly means he’s the kind of man that I’d like to go into business to, and so when I heard that he’s planning on expanding his business, I called him and we set this meeting up. We had to meet here because he was already here for a month long research trip. I didn’t mind the trip if it meant possibly doing business with him.

We reached the building we’d been instructed to go to, and headed up to the correct floor. We were met by an assistant who then led us to the boardroom. When we entered, we were faced by two men and a woman. Having dealt with so many business partners before, I knew that one of the men was Gerard, the other was his lawyer, and the woman was probably his PA.

“Ah, you made it! Good morning Mr Maestri!” the one man introduced himself. For a man his age, he was strongly built and definitely had quite a grip.

“Morning. I assume you’re Mr Hartley?” I asked.

“Right you are! Gerard Hartley, and this is my lawyer Hank, and my PA Rosetta,” he introduced.

“Raphael Maestri and this is my PA Bianca Agostini,” I also introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both. Let’s sit and get down to business,” he smiled. We all took our seats and Bianca readied her iPad.

“So, I understand you’d like to do business with me because we share the same goals, correct?” Gerard asked me.

“That would be correct! I ju-” I started to say, only to be cut off.

Breathe Raphael.

“Have you ever been to Africa Raphael?” he asked me.

“I have,” I nodded.

“South Africa?” he asked.

“I have,” I nodded again.

“Oh? Which part?” he asked excitedly.

I am dealing with a strange man here.

“Cape Town. I have one of my offices there,” I informed him.

“Did you allow yourself to tour the rest of the country?” he asked.

“I didn’t have the time,” I shrugged not understanding how any of this was relevant.

“Do you have family Raphael?” he asked after a while of silence.

“How is that relevant?” I frowned.

“Just answer the question,” he cocked his head to the side.

“I do. I have four daughters,” I replied.

“Four?” he asked wide-eyed.

“Quads,” I explained. He frowned, before his eyes lit up.

“Do you have a picture of them?” he asked. I shook my head.

“I have one,” Bianca jumped in before showing the man her phone.

“They are such precious little girls! How old are they?” he asked.

“Seven,” I replied.

“You speak so coldly of them,” he narrowed his eyes.

“My situation is complicated and I don’t see how it’s relevant to this,” I told him.

“It is very much relevant. You’re a bad father, but I can also tell that it’s not by choice. The fact that you run your business so vigorously and with the objectives that you do, shows me that you have a compassionate side, so I believe when you say that your situation is complicated,” he said calmly.

“Mr Hartley, with all due respect, can we get on with discussing business,” I said, trying not to show my impatience.

“But we are,” the man smirked. I was beginning to get annoyed.

“How so?” I asked.

“You see Mr Maestri, I’m very much willing to do with business with you, but my reasons have nothing to do with business. I already know of your professional reputation, but you don’t have a personal reputation,” he smiled.

“What the hell are you getting at?” I almost growled. Bianca put her hand on my arm to calm me down, which didn’t go unnoticed by Gerard.

“She cares about you,” he commented.

“I do,” Bianca nodded, completely ignoring my glare in her direction.

“Do you agree that he needs to put himself out there more?” he asked.

“I do,” Bianca smiled. Of course that question would make her happy, considering the conversation we’d had the night before.

“I thought you might say that,” Gerard smiled.

“Look, can we get to the point here?” I snapped.

“Be patient! Now, I recently found out some very interesting news, and well, it changed my mind about the deal I was going to present to you. The new deal I have in mind is quite, unorthodox if you may,” he said thoughtfully.

“And what exactly does it entail?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“It’s simple really. If you follow my guidelines, then we can go into business, and I’ll hand my businesses to you,” he replied. Now that caught my attention.

“You’ll give me your businesses?” I frowned.

“Yes. I’ve recently decided that I’d like to retire, but I’d like to leave my businesses in the hands of someone that I’m sure will take care of them for me,” he explained.

“Why me?” I cocked my head to the side.

“Because like I said, your professional reputation is pretty impressive, and since your objectives match mine, then my businesses wouldn’t stray from their goals in your hands,” he explained.

This deal was sounding way too good to be true.

“What would I have to do?” I asked. His whole mood changed.

“Put yourself out there and get married to the woman I choose for you!” he said excitedly.

“What?!?” both Bianca and I said in shock.

“You heard me. I want you to put yourself out there. Do some interviews, show the world who Raphael Maestri is. Hell, I don’t think people know that you have kids, and your daughters are too precious to be kept a secret. Since you’ve mentioned nothing about their mother, and you don’t have a wedding band on, I’m going to assume that you’re not in a relationship. I have just the perfect woman for you,” he smirked.

I looked at him for a long time, unblinking, until I burst out laughing. It had been a long time since I’d laughed that hard. I couldn’t believe the absurdity of this man. I’m one of the most feared businessmen in the world, and he wants me to get married to secure a deal?

My laughter died down and I realised that he was dead serious. I turned to Bianca, hoping that she was on my side in regards to the ridiculousness of this situation, but she looked like she was actually considering it.

“What’s her name?” she asked Gerard.

“Her name is Aretha Washington. She’s a Supervising Manager at a hotel and she lives here in Washington. She’s twenty three years old and she’s African American,” Gerard replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

“Why her?” I asked.

“I have my reasons,” he shrugged.

“So what? You want me to get married to her and make myself appear in public more and then we have a deal?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly! The way I see it, this deal is perfect. The fact that she’s black, means that people wont question your daughters’ appearance,” he pointed out.

I’d give him that. While the girls have my eyes, they took everything else from Gabi, while getting their caramel complexion from a mixture of her chocolate complexion and my pale complexion. I remember thinking how hard my life would be as they grow older because of how exotically beautiful they are.

Boys will definitely be after them!

“Have you told her about this?” I asked.

“No. I’m leaving everything up to you,” he smiled.

“Including finding her?” I frowned.

“You’ll be surprised to know just how close she is to you,” he chuckled, like he was enjoying a private little joke. This man scares me in an unnatural way.

“This is ridiculous,” I shook my head.

“Call me Cupid,” he shrugged.

“When does the deal become concrete?” Bianca asked.

“As soon as they’ve said ‘I do’,” Hank spoke for the first time.

“And you don’t find this ridiculous?” I asked him. He looks like a reasonable man.

“My job isn’t to point out whether or not this is ridiculous,” he shrugged.

“Rosetta thinks it’s romantic,” Gerard chuckled.

“You do?” I turned to her. She looked intimidated by me as she gave a meek nod.

“Why?” I asked. Her eyes widened a little before she cleared her throat.

“Mr Hartley and I were doing research on you when we realized that there’s nothing about your personal life out there. When he told me about his plan, I thought it was brilliant and sweet. It’s unconventional yes, but you’d be changing Rita’s life forever,” she said lowly.

“Rita?” I frowned.

“Aretha,” she corrected.

“Wait, you know her?” Bianca was the one to ask. Rosetta nodded.

“She’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet,” Rosetta said with a small smile.

“Which you’ll find out for yourself when you find her. Now, do we have a deal or not?” Gerard asked me.

“I’m not sure about this,” I said warily.

“Alright, that’s fair enough. I’ll give you until Monday to decide,” Gerard alerted me. That would mean I have the weekend to think about it.

“We’ll get back to you then,” Bianca said, ending the meeting.

I was still in a daze when we left the building. We had time before our next meeting, and I vaguely heard Bianca telling Sven to drive us to a restaurant. We got there and I went in, even though my thoughts were miles away.

“I know I said you should settle down, but even I didn’t expect this,” Bianca giggled as we sat down at a table.

“That man is insane, I’m sure of it,” I shook my head.

“Maybe he is, but what have you got to lose?” she asked.

“Nothing I guess, but can I really get married to a woman I don’t know, just because a business deal says so?” I asked.

“It’s not the most conventional love story, that much I agree on, but it’s a potential love story nonetheless,” she argued.

“What if she finds out it was all a deal and leaves?” I asked.

“Then you have to be honest with her from the very start,” she shrugged.

“You’re all for this already, aren’t you?” I sighed.

“I am! Gerard Hartley may be an insane man, but he’s also a respected man. If he thinks this will work, I don’t see why you shouldn’t at least give it a try. Whatever happens, don’t do it for the deal. Do it for yourself,” she smiled.

I was about to reply, but something behind her caught my attention. The restaurant we were at was just opposite the mall, with a clear view of one of the mall’s entrances. Adjusting my glasses, I realized that what I was looking at was indeed my girls.

I got up and walked over to the window. I watched them walking out of the mall dressed in pink jackets. They had so much happiness on their faces and they were laughing. They were all looking up, which made me look up.

My whole world froze.

As corny and as cliché as that sounds, it really did. For the first time since Gabi, I was in absolute awe of the beauty my eyes were staring at. Even though I was too far to truly see her, I knew she was beautiful; if the appreciative glances she wasn’t receiving around her weren’t enough of a sign.

The dress she was wearing looked like it was made for her and her legs are perfection. I couldn’t see her face from here, but I could see her curly hair. I could see her caramel skin from here. She was laughing with the girls as well, and Luigi was actually smiling along.

Before I could truly take her in, I watched Luigi buckle the girls into the Escalade, before going around to open the passenger door for the woman, which spiked questions through me. Who is she? Why is she with the girls?

Most importantly...

WHERE THE HELL WAS IVANKA?

“You done?” Bianca startled me. I realized that the car was gone.

“I guess,” I nodded.

“What were you looking at?” she asked curiously as we walked back to our table. She’d already ordered for us.

“You didn’t see them?” I frowned.

“See who?” she scowled.

“The girls! They were with Luigi and some woman,” I replied.

“Now Raphael, I know you hire a lot of nannies, but that woman’s name is Ivanka,” she said slowly.

“I know exactly who Ivanka is, and the woman they were with was not her,” I said calmly.

“Are you sure?” she asked unsurely.

“Ivanka isn’t black. I’m sure!” I snapped.

“Black? She’s black?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes,” I sighed.

“Do you think it was Aretha?” she asked after a while.

“Why would it be her? What would she be doing with the girls?” I asked in confusion.

“I don’t know. It was a guess,” she shrugged.

“I don’t think it is,” I commented.

But you wish it could be...

The thought took me by surprise honestly. I couldn’t shake the little image of her that I’d gotten out of my mind. After all these years, and even after Gabi, I was still attracted to women of colour. I don’t know what it is about them, but in my eyes, they are true beauties. I’m not saying that white women are ugly; they’re just not my preference.

Apparently my current preference was a certain caramel beauty...

The rest of Friday and most of Saturday involved meetings for Bianca and I, and we barely had time for anything. By Saturday evening, I was finally having my meeting with Shelby Callaway. The woman has a reputation of being a bitch, and yet whenever I’m around, she’s kissing my ass as best as she can. She’s brilliant at running the hotel though. I just don’t like her.

“Good evening Mr Maestri!” she jumped up when she saw me. The staff members around all looked panicked before getting back to their jobs.

“Evening Shelby,” I said in a monotone voice.

“Good evening Miss Agostini,” she turned to Bianca.

“Evening,” Bianca said, not even bothering to look at her.

“Well then, if you could just follow me,” she gestured towards the hotel’s restaurant. She had booked a private booth for us.

We went in and got seated before she jumped right in and told me all the things she knew I wanted to know. She was telling me everything in regards to the hotel’s management and all, while I looked over the file that she had prepared. My eyes landed on a line in her most recent report:

“We have to train or find a replacement for the Supervising Manager position since Aretha Washington was let go of as of this morning.”

A couple of things went through my head as I checked the date. Aretha had been fired from this very hotel the morning before. According to the report, she was fired just before I met with Gerard. I didn’t even know that Aretha was working for me to begin with, and I was curious to know why she had been fired.

“Why was Aretha Washington fired?” I asked, interrupting Shelby. She went beet red before clearing her throat.

“Aretha?” Bianca’s eyes widened. I passed her the file to look over while looking to Shelby expectantly.

“Sir, we received news that she’s in a relationship with Daniel Hugo and that the two of them were planning on taking the hotel down. I confronted her and she attacked me, so I let go of her. We don’t need that kind of person working here,” Shelby said proudly.

I, on the other hand, was internally fuming.

Just the mention of his name is enough to send me over the edge. Daniel Hugo is the one man I despise more than anyone else on the face of the planet. He is the very scum of the Earth and I would kill him myself if there was no consequence for the action.

The thought of him being in a relationship with Aretha, the very same woman I was supposed to marry if I agreed, didn’t sit well with me. I trust Shelby’s judgement, but there was something in me that was refusing to believe that Aretha was really in a relationship with Hugo. Perhaps it was the part of me that had already accepted the deal.

“Was this proven?” I asked. Shelby paled.

“Well no Sir. We just believed it was true,” she mumbled.

“Did Aretha deny your accusations?” Bianca asked. I was curious about that too.

“No, she didn’t. In fact, she was very calm about the whole thing,” Shelby frowned as though she was coming to a realization.

Aretha is innocent!

“It says here that she was fired before a performance review. Had she not been found guilty, what would you have done?” Bianca asked.

“She’s a hardworking woman, so I probably would’ve have given her the opportunity to shadow me in hopes of one day being in my position,” Shelby replied.

“So she’s good then?” I asked.

“She is,” Shelby nodded.

“Interesting,” Bianca and I said at the same time. Shelby looked at us weirdly but we ignored her.

“I’d like to see the file you have on her,” I said.

“Certainly Sir! Are you going to get her arrested?” Shelby asked, a hint of unsettling excitement in her eyes.

“What for exactly?” I frowned.

“Corporate espionage!” she exclaimed. Bianca laughed a little beside me.

“I’ll investigate and see the way forward from there,” I replied, instead of laughing like I wanted to.

“Good! I’ll go get that folder,” she smiled before disappearing from the booth. Bianca and I were laughing soon after.

“Oh man, Shelby’s nonsense doesn’t get old,” Bianca sighed as she wiped away her tears.

“She lives a pretty exciting life in that head of hers,” I chuckled.

“You know that Aretha is innocent though right?” she suddenly said seriously.

“I’m going with the gut feeling that says she is,” I nodded.

“So why the file?” she smirked.

“To investigate, but not the reason why she was fired,” I replied vaguely.

“Wait, are you going through with it?” she asked excitedly.

“No. I haven’t decided, so calm down. I just need to see what I’m working with here,” I shrugged.

“Uh huh,” she winked just before Shelby returned with the file.

“Here you go Sir,” she handed the file over.

“Thank you. Well, everything seems to be in order, so keep up the good work,” I said, getting up to leave.

“But I haven’t even finished giving you feedback,” Shelby frowned.

“I already have what I needed to know,” I told her. I was eager to get out of there so that I could read this file. Shelby looked like she was about to fight me on this.

“You can tell me the rest,” Bianca jumped in, saving me.

“You’re not who I report to,” Shelby sneered.

“Well, she is now,” I said before walking out.

I made it back to the penthouse suite before stripping out of my suit and heading for the shower. After the day that I had, I needed it. I stepped out and changed into jeans and a t-shirt since it was only five in the evening. I went to make myself coffee, and while the water was boiling, I realized that I hadn’t seen the girls since we’d arrived in Washington. I took out my phone and dialled Luigi’s number.

“Yellow,” he replied.

He’s such a kid!

“Where are my children Luigi?” I asked him.

“How should I know? Aren’t you their father?” he poked. He was trying to provoke me, but I wouldn’t allow him to.

“Just tell me,” I sighed.

“Well, wherever they are, they are nanny-less,” he replied.

“WHAT?” I couldn’t help but shout.

“Calm down! I said that they’re nanny-less, but they’re not alone either. They have someone looking after them. They are safe and they’re happy,” he explained.

My mind thought back to the woman I had seen them with at the mall. I hadn’t been able to sleep last night because I kept seeing her, kept yearning to see her face. I just couldn’t, for the life of me, get her out of my head. It was worse than I had been with Gabi.

“Who are they with then?” I asked.

“None of your business!” he said before hanging up. When I tried to call him again, he’d switched off his phone.

I would’ve been pissed off if it was anyone else, but Luigi is like my little brother. Granted I have my blood little brother, I’m closer to Luigi than him. Luigi and I have just always been close and I trust him with the girls more than any nanny on the planet. If he says they’re fine, I believe him.

I was curious about the happiness part. I have never really seen true happiness with the girls before. Whenever they’re around me, they seem to be walking on eggshells or trying to get my attention. Even when I buy them stuff, they always seem to give me half-hearted smiles.

I would give anything to see them truly happy.

I sighed and headed over to the couch with my coffee and the file in my hands. I sat down and prepared myself for the task I was about to do. My fingers lingered on the covers of the file. What if I didn’t like what the file had to say? What if I liked what it had to say and went through with the marriage when my mind can’t stop thinking about another woman? That got me thinking.

What if I didn’t like what Aretha looked like?

I stopped my questioning and opened the damn file. The first thing I was met with was a form with basic information. Before scanning it, I went through the folder to see if it had a picture of the woman, and just my luck, it didn’t.

I deeply sighed and went back to the first page, which was her basic information. It said she lives here in Washington, she lives with her grandmother, she takes the bus to work, she’d been working here for three years, she was promoted to Supervising Manager within six months and a whole lot of other things.

I went through the other papers which were reviews over the three years from Shelby and the other staff members here:

“Rita is the kindest person in The Maestri. Her smile welcomes everyone and she’s the hardest worker we have!” – Toni Clarke

“Aretha is ALWAYS professional and polite with the staff and the guests at the hotel. She puts the hotel first and is always on time.” – Harry Hathaway

“When I first came here, I was terrified, but Rita took me under her wing and helped me through everything. She’s a respectable young woman who doesn’t curse, is always polite, is always on time, is always helpful and is always making sure that everyone around her is happy. She’s the closest thing to an angel that I know.” – Rhonda Riviera

“Aretha is an efficient and professional worker who shows positive signs of being Hotel Manager. Through further examining and training, she could very well run one of the other branches.” – Shelby Callaway

“Rita is just awesome! A review would not be enough for me to describe just how awesome she is.” – Adrienne Smith

“This hotel wouldn’t be standing if it wasn’t for Rita! She has saved it more times than I can count. She’s the reason most guests come back as they’re always requesting her by name. Some guests even come in and pay just to say hi and talk to her for a few minutes. She takes you in and you can talk to her about anything. She’s an absolute sweetheart and anyone who knows her, knows that about her.” – Matilda Hemmingway

Looking at the reviews had me confused. If Aretha was such a good person, then why was she accused of a crime as big as corporate espionage? None of it made sense. The more I read about her, the more I realized that the woman was a fucking saint!

“Found anything yet?” Bianca asked as she walked into the room.

“She’s a living saint!” I mumbled, handing her the papers. There was silence as she read the papers, confusion crossing her features as well.

“This doesn’t sound like someone capable of corporate espionage,” she finally commented.

“That’s the same thing I was thinking, but at the same time, it could’ve been an act while she was committing the crime,” I pointed out.

“I honestly highly doubt that and I would suggest that you not believe it too. If it turns out that she was innocent the whole time and you doubted her, it could ruin your relationship,” she argued.

“What relationship?” I scoffed.

“Oh please! I know you like the back of my hand. You’ve already made your decision,” she rolled her eyes.

“I have done no such thing!” I denied.

“Whatever you say! I’m going to bed now. I’m too tired for anything,” she said before leaving the room. I think I may have pissed her off once again.

I spent the rest of the night working before going to bed, where I didn’t get much sleep anyway. The moment I closed my eyes, all I could see was the woman who was with my daughters. When I finally did sleep, I dreamt of a very steamy session with a woman with caramel skin, whose face I couldn’t see.

I woke up with a start, just as the dream was getting to the good part. It was six in the morning, and while I had less meetings that day, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. I got up and got showered before getting dressed for the day. I wanted to go downstairs and see if I could catch Harry and ask him about Aretha.

I got to the lobby and it wasn’t very busy since it was only a little before seven. I’d already left a note for Bianca in the suite. There was a new receptionist on duty, who I had never seen before. She actually looked like those rich, daddy’s girl stuck up types with her bleach blonde hair and dull blue eyes. When her eyes landed on me, she smiled but I ignored her.

I continued looking for Harry and I finally found him talking to a Spanish woman. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, despite having walked at a slower pace as I approached them.

“How is she holding up?” he asked.

“Well, I haven’t spoken to her since she left. I know she’s probably on her way to church right now. I’m headed there myself,” the woman replied.

“Something isn’t right about the way she was fired Rhonda,” Harry said in frustration.

“I know what you mean. I’m working on finding out who did it. Rita is too much of a good woman for this,” the woman, Rhonda, replied. I remember seeing her name in the reviews.

I cleared my throat when I was close enough to them and they both turned to look at me. Fear crossed Rhonda’s eyes before it was replaced by some sort of determination. She stood taller and I guess she was trying to prove that she wasn’t afraid of me.

“Good morning Mr Maestri,” they both greeted.

“Morning. May I speak to you both?” I asked.

“Sure,” they nodded.

“What can you tell me about Aretha Washington and the case against her?” I queried. Something flashed in Harry’s eyes, and it was something akin to some kind of knowing.

“She was framed! Pardon me for being so blunt Sir, but I’m pretty sure she was. No-one in this hotel even has an inkling of an understanding of what she’s been through, because if they did, then they would never believe that she’s guilty!” Rhonda said strongly. I suddenly understood the woman.

“Aretha is your best friend,” I stated more than asked.

“She is Sir, and I can guarantee you that she would never have anything to do with Daniel Hugo!” she spat.

The last part of her statement took me aback. There was something in the way she said it- some kind of pent up fury. I suddenly realized that perhaps the accusation on Aretha wasn’t that far off in terms of where it had spiked up. There was clearly something going on here.

“Excuse me,” Rhonda said, leaving before I could question her further.

“She’s just really upset about this whole situation. Don’t mind her,” Harry told me.

“What about you?” I asked him.

“I’m with her on this. Rita would never do such a thing. I’ve only known the woman for a few months, but I would put my life on the line for her. There’s a reason why the guests and the staff call her the Missing Angel. We all believe she escaped heaven just to spread her love and kindness to us,” Harry smiled fondly.

While it was a cheesy way of describing her, it gave me a clearer picture of who I was dealing with here. She was clearly innocent, and I was now more eager than ever to prove her innocence. There was just something that wasn’t right about this whole thing.

“Why the interest in her? You’ve never been interested in a measly worker before,” Harry questioned in suspicion.

Nothing gets by him, so I took him with me for breakfast. He put someone else on duty in his space. When we were seated at the restaurant, I told him everything about Gerard’s proposal.

“The man has really taken a liking to her,” he chuckled.

“They’ve met before?” I asked.

“He’s known her since she was a little girl, but she doesn’t see him all that much. When he does come to the hotel though, she’s always happy to see him. He’s very close to her and her grandmother,” he informed me. Well, that much I didn’t know.

“So what do you think I should do?” I asked in curiosity. I trust and value his opinion.

“I say go for it. Aretha is the kind of woman who will not only make you look good in public as Gerard wants, but she can be everything to you too. With the kind of person she is, she would make a perfect mother for the girls, as well as a perfect life partner for you. I know you Raphael, and trust me when I say that she could definitely help you with your demons,” he smiled.

There it was.

He had just told me the one other thing that had been eating at my brain- whether or not Aretha was the type of woman who would stay with me after finding out everything. A big part of me was hoping so, and now that I’d heard it out loud, I was swaying more and more towards the idea of marrying the woman.

Breakfast with Harry didn’t last all that long since I had my first meeting minutes later. I met up with Bianca in the lobby, who’d had her breakfast in the suite. The whole day went by in a blur, and I was soon packing my bag to leave on Monday morning. I still hadn’t seen the girls all weekend. Not even their bags were in the suite.

“What?” Luigi asked as he answered his phone.

“Where are my girls Luigi? And don’t give me some bullshit response either!” I snapped. Before he replied, I could hear them laughing in the background.

“They’re fine Raphael. What time is our flight?” he asked.

“Well, there’s been a schedule change, so we’re only flying out at six this evening, but I want them here by one o’clock,” I replied.

“Why? So that you can suffocate them with your coldness?” he jabbed.

For the first time since they were born, that jab truly got to me.

“Just get them here then!” I growled out before hanging up the phone.

I didn’t see Bianca for the most part of the morning, so I spent the morning by myself. TV was boring, and I was honestly not in the mood to work. I settled for wallowing in my thoughts, actually waiting for the girls to come back. I was beyond pissed off when they weren’t back by one and Luigi’s phone was off.

At half past four, the door opened to reveal the girls, but something was off about them. They looked so sad that not even I, the negligent father, could miss that much. They looked like they’d all been crying, and even Luigi looked down. My inner loving father panicked the fuck out.

“What’s wrong? Why were you guys crying?” I panicked.

Instead of getting an answer, they all huddled together and started crying all over again. I had never before felt so useless in my life. Luigi glared at me before trying to comfort them. I had no idea what I had done wrong.

“What’s going on here?” Bianca asked as she walked in.

“I have no clue! I just asked a question and they all broke down,” I explained.

“We want her,” Camilla sniffed.

“You want who?” I turned to her.

“Our mummy,” Calinda was the one to reply. I was tongue tied.

“Girls...” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I knew for a fact that they knew about Gabi and her death.

“They’re not talking about Gabi,” Luigi informed me.

“Then who are they talking about?” I frowned. Luigi ignored me and instead left the penthouse.

Strange...

“Girls, who are you talking about?” Bianca asked them.

“The most nicest woman we know. She loves us daddy, but she can’t come with us,” Caterina wiped away her tears.

“We spent the weekend with her daddy. We’ve never been happier. Please don’t let us leave without her,” Caprice begged.

I could only look at them in confusion and sadness. I had no idea who they were talking about, but it sounded to me like they had taken a major liking to the woman, and that I had to make a plan fast if I ever hoped to see them happy.

“Where’s Ivanka?” I asked when I realized she wasn’t anywhere around.

“She quit on Friday,” Caterina shrugged.

“So who have you been with this entire time?” I frowned.

“With Lui, our mummy and her grandma,” they replied.

Grandma?

“Girls, who’s this mummy you speak of?” Bianca asked softly. They turned to her with faint smiles.

“Rita.”

Their one worded answer had the power to make me freeze. I swear my heart even skipped a beat. Rita. Could they be talking about the same Rita I’d spent the weekend hearing about? What are the chances of that being the case?

“Rita? You don’t, by any chance, mean Aretha Washington, do you?” Bianca asked, the excitement clear as day in her voice.

“That’s the one. Do you know her?” Camilla beamed.

Bianca broke out into a squeal and happy dance that had the girls laughing, which was a distraction from their crying. I stood there as everything in my head fell into place. She was the woman I had seen with the girls at the mall.

Aretha Washington was the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about, and the woman I had decided I was going to marry.

“Daddy, she has to come with us. You have to get her to come with us,” Calinda pleaded.

“Tell me everything you know about her,” I told them as I sat down.

For the next hour, I sat and listened to them telling me about the weekend they had with Aretha. Apparently they’d gone shopping for her, which would explain the notifications I received from the bank about the purchases. I found it strange when I looked at the stores, but I guess now it made sense.

It didn’t even come as a shock to me when they told me that they’d gone to see my grandmother as well. They told me about the weekend they spent in Aretha’s grandmother’s house and how much fun they had. It was clear to me that Aretha had attached herself to them too, whether or not she knew it. No woman would adopt kids that fast if she didn’t care about them.

They also told me about how she was teaching them to be better people and about how they’d all gone to church for the first time. Apparently they had enjoyed it so much, they want to be Catholics and start attending a Catholic Church in Florence. Aretha’s priest apparently told them that they would need to be baptized.

I was beyond taken by everything I was hearing.

“She was so heartbroken to see us go daddy. That’s why we were crying. She wants to come, but Grandma Yvette is sick and she doesn’t think she can fly,” Caprice told me.

“What’s wrong with her grandma?” I frowned.

“She’s got cancer. Mummy says she’s going to die soon,” Caterina said sadly.

“She doesn’t know what she’s going to do because that evil lady fired her,” Caprice said angrily.

“Evil lady?” both Bianca and I jumped up at that.

“That Shelby lady!” Calinda scrunched up her nose.

“Wait a minute, were you there when Rita was fired?” Bianca asked the question at the tip of my tongue.

“Yep!” they nodded.

“Tell me exactly what happened!” I instructed. They looked at me weirdly, but Camilla got into the story anyway.

“We were causing trouble like we usually do for the nannies. Ivanka couldn’t find us, so she went to reception. She was crying and Shelby fetched Rita from somewhere. Rita tried to get Ivanka to talk, but Ivanka quit. Rita was smart though, and she tricked us by getting us to go to a room with the promise of treats. Long story short, we introduced ourselves and she introduced herself too. We all immediately liked her and we told her that you’re our daddy, even though you told us not to tell anyone. We wanted her to look after us for our stay here. She said she would have to ask her boss. She called Shelby and the evil lady came in minutes later. Rita told her that she had to look after us, and Shelby asked her if she was trying to quit her job. We told Shelby that we’re your daughters but she didn’t believe us. She called us creatures and she told us that she would send us to an army school and that we belong to an irresponsible human. Rita told her that she believes us and that’s when Shelby told her about what they said Rita did. She used bad words and Rita looked shocked,” she started. Caprice took over from her.

“Instead of fighting back, Rita asked her not to swear in front of us. She went on to call Rita the b word, but Rita still stayed calm. She shook her head at us to stop us from saying anything to Shelby because we were getting angry with the way Shelby was talking to her. Shelby fired her after that and told her that she was not a guest at her hotel and couldn’t even afford to be one. When she had left the room, we asked her why she didn’t fight back, and she told us that fighting is never the way to resolve things. We went to her locker with her to get her stuff, and we met her friend Rhonda. We like her too. Shelby came to the room with security guards to escort Rita, but again Rita was calm. We bumped into Harry on our way out, and he told her that he doesn’t believe the rumours one bit. Rita was grateful for that. Cali then had an idea that we should tell you to fire Shelby, but Rita was against it. She said that revenge isn’t the best way to go about this and that karma would get Shelby back,” she finished off.

“She has no job daddy, and she has to pay for her grandma’s medicine. Please don’t let us leave her. Even Lui likes her. We need her,” Calinda pouted.

For the first time since they were born, I truly thanked God for my girls and their quick development. The fact that they had been able to recall the entire incident and tell it to me with such perfect speech, made me the proudest father in that moment.

What they said was a different story though. I found myself actually fuming. Shelby Callaway was truly a piece of work. I had already made up my mind that Aretha couldn’t have been guilty of corporate espionage, and from what the girls had just told me, Shelby clearly had it out for Aretha.

I knew then that I wanted to get to know Aretha. She already had the girls’ affection and she loved them right back. She had my interest, and she was most definitely easy on the eye, despite having not seen her face yet. I knew what I had to do.

“You’re going to get her,” Bianca smiled.

“I am,” I nodded.

“Should I tell Gerard that you accept?” she asked.

“Let’s wait until we hear what she says,” I proposed.

“Good idea,” she nodded as I got up.

“Daddy, where are you going?” Caterina asked me.

“We’re going to get your mummy,” I smiled at them. They beamed and hugged my legs, squealing as they did.

Bianca and I took our bags with us as we all headed to the elevator. We made it to the lobby in minutes and the girls ran outside where Luigi was talking to Harry. They both wore serious expressions, which worried me, but I shook it off when I saw Shelby heading my way. Bianca tapped my arm and when I looked at her, she shook her head. She must’ve clearly known what I was intending on doing.

“Mr Maestri, Miss Agostini, are you leaving already?” she asked cheerfully.

“That’s generally what happens when people have their luggage after having stayed at a hotel,” Bianca replied sarcastically. She’s never liked Shelby, so I was surprised as to why she wasn’t letting me fire her.

“When will we get to see you again Mr Maestri?” Shelby turned to me.

“Whenever my daughters and wife feel like it,” I shrugged. Her eyes widened.

“D-daughters? W-wife?” she stammered.

Instead of answering her, Bianca and I turned around and left the building. She gave me a high five as we laughed at the priceless look that had been on Shelby’s face. The girls and Luigi looked at us weirdly, while Harry smiled. I don’t laugh often, and it was quite a sight I’ve heard.

“Weren’t we supposed to have boarded the jet by now?” Luigi asked.

“It doesn’t matter. We have somewhere important we need to go first,” I told him. Harry’s smile widened while the girls beamed and jumped up and down impatiently.

“I’m lost here,” Luigi frowned.

“I believe you know where a certain Miss Washington lives,” I smirked. His eyes widened before he too smiled.

“Seriously? You’re going to make it happen?” he asked. I wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but I had an idea.

“I guess I am,” I nodded.

“About time you settle down bro! Rita is perfect for you!” he chuckled.

“For a moment I was afraid you’d fallen for her yourself,” I teased as Sven took Bianca and I’s bags.

“Nah man! I see her as a little sister more than anything. She’s too adorable and innocent for words. She’s your complete opposite,” he smirked.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road. I’m already rescheduling our flight, and according to Kennedy, the next time we can fly out is at ten, which means you have approximately one hour thirty minutes to convince her to come, before we have to be at the airport,” Bianca told me.

“We’re not leaving the USA until she agrees to come, no matter how long it takes,” I crossed my arms. A drop of rain hit my forehead before it started drizzling. The girls squealed and got into the Escalade.

“Alright fine!” Bianca huffed before getting into the Rolls Royce.

“So you’ll just follow me?” Luigi told Sven, who just nodded.

“I’m proud of you bro. Make it work,” Luigi said before hugging me. It was very rare for the both of us to be so affectionate.

The ride to the house was not long enough for me to think about what I was going to say to the woman. Everything I was thinking of saying, sounded stupid even in my head. She would think I’m a nut job if I said anything I was thinking of saying.

The car came to a halt far too soon, but I knew what I needed to do, so I stepped out of the car, not caring about the rain, and bounded to the door. It was pouring harder now, and I couldn’t really see outside. I had to take my glasses off because they were blurring my vision. By the time I made it to the door, I was positively soaked. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to get it. From the light inside, I knew someone was up.

When the door opened, my whole world froze again because of this woman.

Here she was, standing in front of me in short shorts and a tiny top. She’s short, my chest being at her eye level. I was blessed with the sight of her perfect legs and her flat stomach. Her curves were also flawlessly accentuated. Her frizzy hair was tied up in a ponytail. The little light shining in from outside, and the light shining on her from inside, allowed me to see the gray-brown eyes staring back at me in awe and fear. There were rings around them, but she still looked beautiful.

She looked immaculate.

I watched as she shivered a little and that was enough to send me over the edge. For the first time in eight years, the bulge in my pants twitched. I couldn’t help but pull her into me by her waist. Her hands landed on my chest and I almost convulsed. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as she took in my scent. All rational thoughts flew out of my head then. I forgot whatever it is I was planning on saying, and instead said the one thing I truly wanted to say.

“Marry me.”

**********

ELO SMURFLETTES

This book is taking off slowly (on Wattpad), but quickly (plot wise). Have no fear! It WILL slow down. This is just the beginning after all. You will get to learn more about the Maestri’s and about Aretha.

All good things in due time.

PS>>> The dress Aretha wore in the previous chapter, as well as the girls' outfit.

Please do vote, comment, fan, share and add the book to your libraries. I’d really like some criticism (or compliments) on this book. It helps you know?

Love you guys!

Katee (^^,)